Tieplate



May 2.9,` 1934- F. A. PRESTON 1,960,550

Patented May 29, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIEPLATE Frederick A. Preston, Lake Forest, Ill., assignor to The P & M Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois This invention relates to improvements in railway tie plates and has for its principal object the provision of an improved tie plate construction which may be firmly secured to a railway I cross tie so as to avoid relative movement between the plate and the tie and which will maintain the railroad rail in its proper position on the plate with capacity for limited vertical movement of the rail, but without such vertical movement 10 of the rail imparting a pumping action to the cross tie. The invention further includes a tieplate of the above character which, by its fixed attachment tothe tie, eliminates vibratory action of the plate between the tie and the rail base and thereby avoids such wear on the tie as results from vibratory movements of a tie-plate.

Prior to this invention it has been customary to maintain the tie plate beneath the base of the rail by means of spikes driven into the tie through openings in the tie plate, the said openings being so located that the spikes function to hold the rail in position on the tie. When the spikes are so driven as to hold the rail in close contact with the cross tie, the vertical wave motion imparted to the rail by the traflic passing thereover imparts a vertical or pumping action andalso a turning or rolling movement to the tie. Such movements loosen the tie in the ballast of the roadbed and also permit ballast to work beneath the cross tie and thus destroy the flat bearing of the tie and ultimately impair the alignment and surface of the track. When there is suitable clearance between the rail base and the head of the spike to permit vertical movement of the rail, the tie plate vibrates between the tie and the rail during the passing of traffic and thereby wears away or imbeds itself into the tie. Such vibratory movements of the tie plate also tend to wear away the shank of the spike. Furthermore, any initial clearance between the head of the spike and the rail base is increased both by the tendency which the upward movement of the rail has to withdraw the spike and by the wearing away of the upper surface f the tie. The present invention therefore contemplates a tie plate construction which will overcome the above mentioned and other incidental objections to tie plates now in general use. It contemplates a tie plate construction which may be Xed rigidly to the cross tie so as to be in effect a part of the tie and at the same time provide for free limited movement of the rail base on the plate, so as to prevent both the vertical and the rolling movements which would be imparted to the tie, by the wave motion of the rail, if the rail were held in close contact therewith. The said movement of the rail is limited in the present. invention by means carried on the plate so that the proper clearances between the rail base flanges and the restraining Q0, means will be maintainedat all times and which furthermore will eliminate the use of rail spikes for securing the rails on the tie.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the detailed description of the three embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing.

/In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of the base portion of a. railroad rail supported on a railroad tie plate made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 showing the tie plate secured to the upper face of a cross tie and illustrating the manner in which the base portion of a rail is supported on said tie plate with capacity for a limited ver tical movement relative to said plate. Y

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a spring key member employed in connection with the tie plate shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a slightly'modied construction of tie plate, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of one end of a tie-plate showing a modified form of key-way and spring key.

The improved tie plate shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing consists preferably of a body portion formed with openings 11 and 12 at opposite ends for the reception of lag screws 13-14 with which the said plate is preferably secured rigidly to the upper face of a cross tie 15. The bottom face of the tie plate may be formed with a series of ribs 16 adapted to be imbedded in the. tie or it maybe made at if desired. The upper face of the tie plate is formed with spaced shoulders 17 and 18 which extend preferably entirely across the plate and provide abutments for opposite vertical Vedges of the rail base 19. These abutments 1'7--18 serve to hold the base portion of the rail from substantial lateral movement but permit the rail to move freely in other directions. The base 19 of the rail is held in position on the tie plate without the use of the ordinary rail spikes.V To this end the shoulder 17 is preferably formed with an inwardly projecting portion 20 which extends over the upper surface of the rail base flange at one side of the. rail. The under surface of the inwardly projecting portion 20 is preferably inclined to correspond to the inclination of the upperrsurface of the rail base no and is so spaced from said upper surface of the rail base as to permit free upward movement of the rail base relative to the plate when the rail is subjected to the Well known wave motion during the passing of trafic thereover. The shoulder 18 at the opposite side of the rail base is preferably formed with a transverse slot 21 through which is driven a spring key 22. The said slot 21 is preferably inclined so that the head portion of the spring key will project above the upper surface of the rail base in substantially the same manner as the projection 20. The key may be driven to its applied position from either side of the shoulder 18 and when in its applied position cooperates with the said projection'20 to limit the upward movement of the rail base. The key member is preferably made of flat metal stock formed at one end with a head providing shoulders 23--23 to limit the drivingmovement of the key through the slot 21. The other end ofthe key is formed with rounded shoulders 24--24 and is bifurcated for the major portion of the vlength of the key to provide resilient leg portions 25-25 adapted to be compressed when driving the key to its applied position. The curved shoulders 24-24 preferably taper toward the end of the key to provide cam surfaces 26-26 adapted to facilitate the application of the key to its applied position.

In applying the tie plate shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the base flange of a rail, the inward projection 20 of the shoulder 17 is rst hooked over one flange of a rail base and the vertical shoulder 18 is then raised into the position shown in Fig. 2. The key 22 is then driven into the slot 21 so as to lock the rail base between the shoulders 17 and 18 but which, due to the clearance between the projection 20 and the adjacent edge of the rail base and the clearance between the under face of the key 22 and the adjacent edge of the rail base, permits the rail base to have a limited vertical movement relative to the tie plate. After the plate 10 is positioned between the rail base and the upper surfaceof the tie, it is firmly attached to the tie in a manner to prevent relative vertical movement of the tie and plate. If desired, a number of the plates may be attached to the ties, the rail then placed o-n them and the keys driven into the slots as described above.

In Fig. 4 a slightly modified form of tie plate is illustrated in which the inwardly projecting portion 20 of Fig. 2 is omitted and a spring key 23a is used to limit the vertical movement of the rail relative to the plate. By using spring key members at opposite edges of the rail base, as shown in Fig. 4, the shoulders 17al and 18 of the tie plate can be positioned with less clearance between the adjacent edges of the rail base since the tie plate can be applied without any turning movement about the rail base. In other respec'ts the tie plate construction shown in Fig. 4 is. the same as the tie plate shown in Fig. 2. The various parts of this plate having the same construction as that of Fig. 2 are therefore given the same'reference characters. The function of the plate in each Acase is to permit sufficient vertical movement of the rail base relative to the plate so ask to avoid vertical movement being imparted to the tie or to the tie plate by'the wave motion of the rail and consequently avoid the disadvantages previously referred to. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the slot 21a ispreferably formed inA al horizontal plane. The spring key 22h is bent intermediate itsV ends at an 1 angle whereby one end of the key, preferably the head portion, inclines at an angle corresponding to the inclination of the upper surface of the rail base when the key is in its position in the slot. In other respects the key 22o may be and preferably is the same in construction as the key construction in Fig. 3. This type of key and slot construction could obviously be employed in connection with either form of tie plate shown in Fig. 2 or 4.

While the invention is illustrated herein in the form of a tie plate made separate from the tie, the said plate is normally rigid with the tie. It will be obvious therefore, when a metal tie is used,that the improved features of the tie plate can be embodied in the tie. While certain of the features of the present invention are intended to avoid injury to a wood tie, certain of the claims are directed to the provision of a rail supporting and retaining means for maintaining the rail in proper position but lwith capacity for relative vertical movement so as to avoid imparting vertical movement to the rail supporting means. In view Vof the above suggested and other possible modifications which will be apparent to those familiar with this art, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms and constructions shown except insofar as specific limitations appear in the appended claims.

Vl claim:

1. A tie plate formed on its upper face with spaced shoulders for engaging opposite edges of the base portion of the rail, one of said shoulders having a key way formed therein which extends through said shoulder in a horizontal plane, a spring key movable transversely of said shoulder into locking engagement with the end walls of said key way and formed intermediate its ends with a bend whereby the end of the key projecting over the upper surface of the rail base extends at an inclination parallel to the upper surface of said base.

2. Supporting and retaining means for a railroad rail comprising a tie plate having a fixed position in the roadbed and formed on its upper surface with spaced shoulders providing abutments for opposite edges of the base portion of the rail, one of said shoulders having a keyway formed therein, and a iiat spring key yieldable in a direction longitudinally of the shoulder and adapted to be driven through said keyway into locking engagement with the end walls thereof, said spring key beingvadapted when in its fully applied position to project over the upper surface of the adjacent flange of the rail base, but in spaced relation thereto, to limit vertical movement of the rail relative to said plate. l

3. Supporting and retaining means for a railroad rail comprising a tie plate having a xed position in the roadbed, and formed on its upper surface with spaced shoulders extending substantially across the plate and providing abutments for opposite edges of the base portion of the rail, one of said shoulders having an elongated keyway formed therein which is inclined outwardly and downwardly in a plane substantially parallel to the inclined top surface of the adjacent base flange of the rail, and a flat key adapted to be positioned in said keyway to project over the upper edge of the adjacent base flange of the rail, said key being yieldable in a direction longitudinally of said shoulder and movable transversely of the rail into locking engagement with the end walls of Ysaid keyway.

4. VSupporting and retaining means for a raila slot elongated lengthwise thereof, a spring key member yieldable longitudinally of the said slot and adapted to be forced therein by movement transversely of the shoulder and adapted when in its applied position to project over the adjacent flange of the rail base to limit the Vertical movement of said rail base relative to the plate.

FREDERICK A. PRESTON. 

